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The Vampire Shrink
Lynda Hilburn
Published: April 3, 2012 (Sterling)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review by: Candace
Rating (out of 5): 4 stars
Other than Jane True, Merit and Kate Daniels, I’m generally more of a paranormal romance person than an urban fantasy reader. So why am I going to read UF with a title like The Vampire Shrink?
The first reason is our heroine. Kismet Knight is a feisty psychologist named Kismet Knight, who has stumbled onto the world of vampires. Actually, Kismet’s entirely scientific mind dispels the myth altogether and she thinks she is dealing with wannabes, people infatuated with the newest craze. Kismet’s ex is a very popular doctor appearing on the talk show scene with his brand of television therapy. So Kismet decides to capitalize on opportunity and seize the day. She’s going to advertise herself as a vampire therapist and get a book contract out of it.
Reasons No. 2 and possibly 3 – depending on your take on the matter – is the hero. And that could be plural. Alan, with a Ph.D. and who currently works for the FBI, comes to Denver tracking criminals who are staging crimes that look like vampire attacks. Or that’s the cover story the FBI gets. Alan knows the truth – that vampires exist.
But the real star and the mystery behind the entire book is Devereux. The set-up smacks of True Blood in that Devereux is a strikingly handsome, blond club owner who caters to undead and humans alike. Devereux is protective of his people and, in particular, one human with certain paranormal gifts that she has not quite uncovered yet. He’s also got his very own Pam in the form of Luna. I liked her. Luna isn’t what you would want for a next-door neighbor, but she’s very entertaining.
The kicker is that the bad guy in this book is a vampire who has his sights set on Devereux. He is jealous of Devereux’s centuries-old fascination with a woman he has not found. Discovering Kismet is human destroys any link to sanity that Bryce, the bad guy, may have had.
Devereux turned Bryce, but Kismet is his mate. He’ll stop at nothing to protect her, including taking down the vampire he sired, who happens to have un-returned feelings of sexuality toward the lethal Devereux.
There were some things in here I would rather see left out. Namely the too-involved Tom storyline and the whole Brother Luther/Lucifer situation. But you’ve still got a heroine who is flawed. She’s a psychologist seeking therapy for her own fears. You’ve got two men (one breathing, one not) after the flawed beauty, who will do anything in their power to keep her safe. There are witches. There are the many, many members of Devereux’s coven who will do whatever they can to keep their master happy – including protecting his mate.
And here’s the great part: At the end of the book, I wanted more. I had questions, damn it, and if this was going to be a stand alone, I wasn’t going to be happy. Thankfully, the second book Blood Therapy
Sexual content: Kissing, non-graphic sex
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my book! I’m glad it left you with questions! Hopefully, they will be answered in the next book. I originally wrote The Vampire Shrink back in 2005 and at that time I tried to give Devereux dark hair. That’s how I initially envisioned him. But he wouldn’t have it. LOL. Now I can’t imagine him not blond!
Hugs, Lynda
Lynda, I got interrupted reading several times and each time I was like “WHAAAAT!” because I didn’t want to put it down. Kismet was great fun, Alan was intriguing and Devereux was addictive. You’ve got a great cast of characters and I’m looking forward to finding out more about them.
Thank you, Candace! I’m so happy you liked it! I’m counting the days until Blood Therapy appears!
Hm. This sounds a bit different, and I love different. I’ll have to check it out! 🙂